Last Updated: 2/23/2023

How To Fight Travel Insomnia and Get Better Sleep Traveling

If you’re looking to get better sleep traveling, you’re not alone.

Travel insomnia plagues many travelers. After long, exhausting Travel days, you’d expect to drift off the moment your head hits the pillow. Instead, too many of us toss and turn for hours before finally settling into fitful, unsatisfying slumber. That poor Sleep leaves us cranky, irritable and unfocused – not exactly ideal for enjoying once in a lifetime travels.

But our travels don’t have to be riddled with sleep anxiety. As someone who’s struggled to fall asleep my entire life, I’ve spent a lot of time testing different sleep aids. The happy result of my sleep struggles is that I’ve finally develop a sleep travel kit that helps me get good sleep no matter where my travels take me.

Read on for my best sleep travel tips for how to get better sleep while traveling. Together we can beat travel insomnia once and for all! 

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase something through these links, I receive a small commission that helps me create this blog’s content. There’s no extra cost to you.

Pin now for happier, healthier, and better rested travels!

Why Can’t I Sleep When I Travel?

Many of us sleep well at home, but barely sleep a wink when traveling. Don’t worry: there’s nothing wrong with you. However, you can blame evolution.

Researchers at Brown University believe our brains have a hard time turning off their “night watchman” mode when we’re sleeping in new places. Even when we feel absolutely exhausted by the day’s travels, our brain remains on high alert, trying to pick up any signs of danger.

First night effect is so common, that the Boston University researchers suggest you structure your travels so any events that require you to be well rested (like having to give a presentation or that whale watching tour you traveled halfway around the world for) happens on your second full day of travel. Most likely, you’ll experience much deeper sleep on your second night in the hotel room or vacation rental.

9 Natural Sleep Aids To Help You Get Better Sleep Traveling

While I can’t guarantee you perfect travel sleep, these sleep tips have turned me into a pretty well-rested traveler. Try them out on your next vacation and let me know if they improve your travel sleep quality!

Limit your evening alcohol and sugar intake

Obviously, when you’re traveling you want to indulge in local food and drink. But if you’re anything like me, too much sugar and/or alcohol too close to bedtime is a surefire way to spend the night tossing and turning.

Even if alcohol might help you initially fall asleep, high blood sugar causes our body’s metabolism to busily whirs away. That metabolic process can create wakefulness. Additionally, alcohol might inhibit our body’s natural ability to release melatonin. And let’s not forget the perhaps most obvious problem with downing a pint too close to bedtime: needing to get up multiple times to pee!

Personally, I try not to drink after dinner. I love trying that local IPA over happy hour or with dinner. At the very least, try to finish the night’s final drink at least two hours before lights out.
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know, there’s no way I’m not eating dessert when I’m traveling. But rather than getting a late evening sugar rush, consider enjoying the local sweet treat in the late morning or afternoon.

Have an hour of “calm time” before lights out

If possible, I budget approximately an hour of “calm time” at the end of each travel day. I think this is especially important for introverts and those prone to sensory overload. It also might ease some of those fight or flight instincts that play into “first night effect.” It’s amazing how much more quickly I fall asleep once my head hits the pillow when I first take time to unwind.

This is a great time to update your travel journal or research logistics for the next day. I find writing down these details helps cut down on racing thoughts that keep me up when I’m actually trying to sleep.

You could also use this time to read a chapter or two of your book, meditate, pray, or put on a face mask. If your plane ride resulted in some mysterious pains and tightness, try doing a little yoga or stretching too.

Step away from the blue light

I definitely find it calming to scroll through Instagram and Pinterest at the end of a long travel day. But it’s no secret that blue light messes with our brain’s ability to know what time of day it is. If you do nothing else for your sleep while traveling, avoid any blue screen (phone, laptop, tv, etc.) for at least half an hour before lights out. That’ll help your brain start pumping up its melatonin production.

Plan for disrupted sleep

Does this sound like a familiar sleep travel scenario? You tuck yourself into your hotel bed, but racing thought keep you wake for hours. Then you glance at the clock and realize how much sleep you’ve already missed. Now the sleep anxiety settles in as you worry about how tired you’ll be in the morning if you don’t fall asleep right away.

Since you’re most likely to struggle with sleep on your first travel night, consider structuring your first full travel day so it doesn’t really matter if you slept well.

For example, when we went to Hawaii, we really didn’t need to spend two full days in Honolulu. Even though we just wanted to see Pearl Harbor, I added a buffer day to hedge against travel delays and allow us to sleep in as late as we wanted that first morning. Of course, we were actually up at 5 a.m. (thank you jetlag) but that’s another problem for another post . . . .

Do a light source audit before bedtime

A truly dark room can do wonders when it comes to falling asleep quickly and sleeping well. However, hotel rooms are notorious for flimsy blinds and mystery light sources. Even though I do recommend always using a sleep mask when traveling, light can still seep in.

Before turning out the lights for good, do a light source audit of your hotel room. Is there a small flashing red light on the tv that you could cover with your book? Can you flip around the big digital clock next to your head? Maybe partially shut the door to the bathroom to block the nightlight.

Use aromatherapy

I don’t really believe in the magical healing powers of essential oils, but I’ve used them for so many years before bed that they have a sort of Pavlov’s dog effect. If you want to see if essential oils can help you get better sleep traveling, I recommend trying lavender or this sleep blend. Another good option is this sleep balm. One definite advantage of the balm is that you don’t have to put it in your 3-1-1 plastic bag if you’re going carry-on only.

Take a supplement

I’m not a fan of sleeping pills; they often result in unconsciousness rather than restorative sleep. However, I do use several sleep aid supplements. Keep in mind, I’m not a medical professional. The following information is based only on my personal experience. If you’re looking into natural sleep aids for better sleep traveling, look into these with your doctor:

Magnesium – Many studies link an increase in magnesium intake with lowered anxiety and blood pressure. It’s often recommended that you take magnesium before bed so you can fully cash in on its calming effects. I take magnesium every night whether I’m at home or on the road.

Melatonin – I take 3 mg of melatonin every night when traveling. Since there’s probably some merit to the argument that you should avoid taking synthetic hormones because they can confuse your body and interrupt its natural hormone production, I only take melatonin when it’s crucial for me to get eight hours of sleep. It also seems to work best when taken intermittently.

Ashwagandha – These vegan gummies with calming ashwagandha taste so good and I find they really help me unwind. If you order directly from the Goli website, use the code “YellowBrick” to receive 10% off your first order.

Herbal tea – If you prefer not to pop pills, you could try a relaxing cup of herbal tea like Sleepytime or this blend before bed. Just make sure you time to that tea so the call of nature doesn’t keep you up!

Use a sleep mask

Maybe it feels a little extra to don a sleep mask at the end of each travel day. However, a sleep mask really helps cut down on travel sleep distractions by blocking weird light slanting in through the shades or random, flashing neon signs casting weird shadows around the hotel room.

I find lightweight satin or silk sleep masks with thin elastic bands best for travel. I personally prefer the breathability of a loose-fitting mask. No need to get all fancy when buying a sleep mask. My cheapest of cheap sleep mask has been serving me well for decades.

Use earplugs

Weird nightlight isn’t the only sleep disturbance that hotel rooms throw at us. Many a night of travel sleep has been interrupted by a rental’s strange creaks, furnace noises, or running toilet. Earplugs have been a gamechanger for me sleep well while traveling.

I love Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam earplugs. They block out or significantly diminish a room’s ambient noise while still allowing you to hear a fire alarm. (Unfortunately, yes, I know from experience.) Between the darkness of the sleep mask and muted atmosphere from the earplugs, I can almost trick myself into believing I’m sleeping in my own bedroom.

How to make a sleep travel kit to beat travel insomnia

To make it super easy to sleep well when I travel, I have a small travel kit that I bring on every trip. I never unpack my sleep travel kit, so I never worry about forgetting an element of my travel sleep routine. Grab and go, baby! No rooting through the bathroom medicine cabinet assembling my sleep kit the day before I travel.

I used a small zippered cosmetic bag to hold my travel sleep kit. An Ipsy makeup bag would work great, or you could even just use a Ziploc bag.

What’s inside my travel kit:

• Sleep mask
• Two sets of ear plugs
• Sleep balm
• Small container of magnesium and melatonin
• Travel sized Goli Ashwaganda gummies

My Best Tips for Better Sleeping on Flights

But what if your travel day has no “night?” While I won’t be digging into jetlag in this post, I definitely want to acknowledge that overnight flights pose one of, if not the biggest sleep problems for travelers. While I’ve never perfected the art of getting hours of uninterrupted sleep on planes, I can get in some solid dozing with these tips.

Wear loose clothing

It’s hard to sleep when your jeans are biting into your hips. While I don’t condone wearing pajamas on flights, I do think you can get away with a nice pair of joggers and a cozy top. Before trying to log some plane sleep, loosen up your shoe laces too.

Let down your hair and brush your teeth

Do what you can to replicate your normal bedtime routine at home. I like to take a couple minutes in the teeny airplane bathroom to brush my teeth and comb my hair.

Use your travel sleep kit!

If you’re on a long-haul flight, make sure you can easily access your sleep kit. Throw on your sleep mask, take a natural sleep aid, pop in your earplugs and you’re good to go. For the sake of your seatmates, maybe skip the essential oils though, m-kay?

Listen to a sleep meditation

It’s hard to relax on planes without bathing yourself in the bluescreen light of the inflight entertainment. If you need a little time in unwind before officially trying to sleep on a plane, try listening to a sleep story or meditation on the Calm app.

Cover up

I never really feel like I’m settling in for a good snooze unless I have a blanket. Plus, airplanes are always so chilly! Personally, I have zero qualms using the blanket that airlines provide for longer flights. However, if you’re more diligent about germs than I am, consider throwing in a packable blanket like a Rumpl.

Use some sort of neck support

I don’t travel with a travel pillow . . . although if you have any good suggestions, I’m all ears! The adjustable neck rest on plane seats works well enough for me.

Here’s To Better Travel Sleep for You and Me!

I hope these sleep travel tips help you become a better rested traveler. With the expense and stress of travel, we all deserve to wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for every day of our trips. Sweet dreams!

What are your best sleep travel tips?

If you enjoyed 9 Easy Ways To Get Better Sleep Traveling, check out my other travel tips!